PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are making a change to their practice squad, signing former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Shaquan Davis and releasing inside linebacker Marcus Haynes, the team announced.

Davis started his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Saints in 2023 and spent his rookie season on the Saints practice squad. This past offseason, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, but eventually returned to New Orleans during training camp.

Davis spent his college football days at South Carolina State, where he finished his career with 934 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2022 during his final season, he totaled 23 receptions for 546 yards and five touchdowns.

The Steelers are looking for as much help at wide receiver as possible. With all wideouts outside of George Pickens accounting for two receptions for eight yards in the season opener, and rookie Roman Wilson still dealing with an ankle sprain, Pittsburgh will weigh all options each week.

The team is hopeful to see an uptick in Wilson’s progression this week, but it’s no guarantee he’ll play. Davis will have an opportunity to showcase his skills during the practice week, working alongside Quez Watkins, Ben Skowronek and Brandon Johnson, with the hopes of eventually earning a place on the 53-man roster.

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The 2024 presidential election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Connecticut voters will cast ballots in federal and state races.

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris faces Republican Donald Trump for the state’s seven electoral votes.

In Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Jahana Hayes, a Democrat, again faces GOP challenger George Logan. There are also various down-ticket races for state legislative seats, as well as a ballot question on whether or not to change the state constitution to allow no-excuse absentee voting by mail.

Election Day 2024 is notable in Connecticut for one more reason: It marks the state’s first time offering early voting during a presidential election. Early voting kicks off on Oct. 21 and runs through Nov. 3.

Here are the key dates, voting information and races you need to know about.

Key dates
How do I register to vote?
Can I register and vote on Election Day?
What is early voting and how can I do it?
Where do I vote?
Do I need to show photo identification to vote?
I am or have been incarcerated. Am I eligible to vote?
What are some of the key races?
Learn more

Key dates

Oct. 18 – Deadline to register in person, via mail or online, for early voting, as well as voting on Election Day.

Oct. 21 – Early voting begins. Unregistered voters may also register to vote in person every day

of early voting at the early voting location.

Nov. 3 – Early voting ends.

Nov 4 – Deadline to request an absentee ballot. Deadline for a voter to return, in-person, an absentee ballot to the Town Clerk’s office.

Nov. 5 – Election Day (polls open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) Deadline to return an absentee ballot by mail or to a drop box by close of polls.

How do I register to vote?

The cut off for voters to register to vote in person, via mail, or online is Oct. 18. There is same day registration available each day of the early voting period, and on Election Day.

Can I register and vote on Election Day?

Yes. You may register and vote in person on Election Day at a designated location in your town. That’s usually Town Hall, but check with your local registrars’ office.

You must meet eligibility requirements for voting in Connecticut and not already be registered. If you are registered in one town, but recently moved, you can register on Election Day to vote in your new town.

What is early voting and how can I do it?

Early voting is exactly what it sounds like: It’s a chance for registered voters to cast a ballot before Election Day. After voters seal their choices in an envelope, ballots will be secured, unopened, until Election Day.

Early voting is different from voting by absentee ballot, which requires a reason. Early voting is available to all eligible voters, provided they cast their ballots during the early voting period.

Early voting is open from Oct. 21 through Nov. 3 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) at the designated early voting location in each town. There are extended early voting hours on Oct. 29 and Oct. 31 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.).

Connecticut is one of the last states in the nation to offer early in-person voting. Early voting first rolled out in March to minimal turnout during the presidential preference primary. That low turnout raised concerns among some local officials, who said the law was underfunded and overly taxing for many part-time town officials. Early voting had a second go-around in August, to varying degrees of success. In Hamden, turnout was relatively high, but officials have said November will be the true test of the new state law.

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas signaled this summer she is open to working with the legislature to adjust the law, but said she wants to see how many early voters turn out during the November election before any changes are made. Early voting was approved by the state legislature in 2023.

Where do I vote?

Early voting: Early voting locations will be listed by town as they become available. (Each town in Connecticut will have at least one early voting location, state officials say. Towns with more than 20,000 residents may have additional locations.)

Election Day: Registered voters can also look up their Election Day polling place.

Do I need to show photo identification to vote?

No. Instead of presenting ID, voters can, in most cases, sign an affidavit when poll workers ask for ID. The identification does not need to be a driver’s license. It also does not need to have a photo. Here is a detailed list of Connecticut’s in-person voter ID requirements.

I am or have been incarcerated. Am I eligible to vote?

Possibly. Eligibility depends on the nature of the crime and your current confinement status.

You are eligible to vote if:

• You have been convicted of a misdemeanor and are currently confined (via absentee ballot).
• You are in pretrial detention and have not been convicted of any crime (via absentee ballot).
• You are convicted of a felony and have completed your confinement.
• You are convicted of a felony and are currently on only parole or probation.
• You are convicted of election statute felonies and have completed confinement and parole/probation.

You are not eligible to register to vote or vote if:

• You have been convicted of a felony and are currently confined.

Note: To restore voting rights after confinement, you must register to vote, even if previously registered, according to the Secretary of the State’s office.

What are some of the key races?

After tight 2022 race, Logan again seeks to unseat Hayes

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, first elected to Congress in 2018, faces off against GOP challenger George Logan in Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District.

Hayes, 51, is a former National Teacher of the Year who has closely aligned herself with the progressive policies of the House Democrats during her time in Congress. She has touted her work on lowering the price of prescription drugs and improving care for military veterans as part of her 2024 campaign.

Logan, an engineer and former state senator, waged an unsuccessful, but competitive 2022 race against Hayes, losing by less than one percentage point. If elected, Logan would be the first Republican sent to Congress from deep-blue Connecticut since 2008 when Chris Shays lost to challenger Jim Himes.

Connecticut’s 5th District has been in Democratic control since 2006 when Republican Nancy Johnson lost to Chris Murphy, who later successfully ran for U.S. Senate.

Murphy faces GOP challenger for U.S Senate seat

Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy faces a challenge from GOP challenger Matthew Corey.

(Murphy was first elected to the Senate in 2012. His 2012 rise followed a Democratic primary featuring a cast of Connecticut politicians including future Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Attorney General William Tong, then a state representative. Murphy ultimately went on to defeat GOP candidate Linda McMahon, the former WWE CEO and performer. McMahon would later land a spot as administrator of the Small Business Administration under former President Donald Trump.)

In many ways, Murphy’s time in Congress has been defined by the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Since then, he has emerged as a national voice advocating for stricter gun control laws. He also speaks regularly on loneliness and is a member of the Senate’s Appropriations and Foreign Relations committees.

Corey, a Manchester resident and Navy veteran, is a small business owner. He ran unsuccessfully against Murphy in 2018. Corey faces an uphill battle again this year, as Murphy has already amassed a massive fundraising advantage.

CT voters face question to expand ballot access in future elections

A ballot question will also appear this November. The question will ask voters to amend the state constitution to allow for no-excuse voting by mail. Currently, state law requires voters to give a reason when requesting an absentee ballot, such as sickness or absence from town on Election Day.

If approved, this change would allow the legislature to vote on legislation to expand mail-in voting to all voters, according to the Connecticut Mirror. Many states allow no-excuse absentee voting.

If the measure fails, as a similar effort did in 2014, the legislature would not be permitted to vote to change the rules around no-excuse absentee voting. Instead, a question allowing the constitutional change would again need to be put before voters during a future election.

Other U.S. House seats also up for reelection in 2024

District 1

U.S. Rep. John Larson, a Democrat first elected to Congress in 1998, faces challenger Jim Griffin. Griffin was endorsed by Republicans without opposition in May.

District 2

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat who has represented the district since 2007, faces Mike France, a Republican and former Connecticut state representative who waged an unsuccessful campaign against Courtney in 2022.

District 3

Democratic U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, 81, who has represented the district since 1991 and has been re-elected ever since. DeLauro faces Republican Michael Massey, a New Haven resident.

District 4

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat who has held the district since 2009, faces Republican challenger Michael Goldstein, an ophthalmologist and lawyer.

Learn more

Connecticut Secretary of the State | Register Online to Vote | Important Voter Information

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday filed a lawsuit against the state of Maine for allegedly violating the civil rights of children with behavioral health disabilities.

The complaint alleged that Maine had failed to provide appropriate community-based services to the families of children with such disabilities, providing them “no meaningful choice” other than to place their children in institutions. The DOJ claimed that this constitutes discrimination under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) since many of the families “want [their children] home” and the state could prevent such “segregation” by modifying its health service system.

The DOJ emphasized that Maine violated the US Supreme Court’s ruling in Olmstead v. LC which states that the ADA “requires state and local governments to ensure the services they provide for children with disabilities are available in the most integrated setting appropriate to each child’s needs.”

The department asked the court to compel the state of Maine to provide integrated and community-based services to children with disabilities instead of “unnecessarily segregating” them in institutions. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ Civil Rights Division stated, “The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities can get the services they need to remain at home with their families and loved ones, in their communities.”

The DOJ published its findings of the alleged civil rights violations in a 2022 letter addressed to Maine Governor Janet Mills. The department found that Maine has long waitlists for its community-based services, does not invest in community-based providers and fails to ensure that its crisis services remain available. The letter thus concluded the state has failed to provide appropriate integrated services and “unnecessarily relies on segregated settings such as hospitals and residential treatment facilities.”

In 1999, the Supreme Court found in Olmstead that the ADA required people with mental disabilities to be placed in “integrated” or community settings rather than institutions when the state’s professionals determine such placement is appropriate, when the individual does not oppose the placement and when the resources are available. 

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) responded to the lawsuit on Monday, stating the department had been working with the DOJ to address the allegations. The DHHS added, “We are deeply disappointed that the U.S. has decided to sue the state rather than continue our collaborative, good-faith effort to strengthen the delivery of children’s behavioral health services.”